A chocolate tasting, much like a wine tasting, engages more than your taste buds. All five of your senses are used to judge and experience the complexities and nuances of fine chocolates.

Start by Looking

Check for high shine, even coloring and a smooth, unblemished surface. Strong shine reflects a well-tempered chocolate.
If the chocolate is dusty, or ashy-white, this may be a condition known as chocolate "bloom". Bloom occurs when chocolate is exposed to temperature and humidity extremes and has become "untempered". Bloom demonstrates the importance of storing chocolate properly, where it can be kept dry and away from heat. While chocolate with bloom hasn't gone bad and can still be eaten, it isn't appropriate for a tasting since bloom distorts appearance.

Continue by Touching

Chocolate, should be firm to the touch. Fine chocolate should not feel greasy, grainy, sticky or waxy. When you touch fine dark chocolate it should hold its shape a few seconds before melting.

Listen for the Snap

Break the chocolate and note the sound: is it soft, hard, dull, quick? Fine chocolate breaks cleanly, creating crisp edges without crumbling, and makes a sharp sound. This snap is called the "craquant". The darker the chocolate, the snappier the sound.

Smell the Aroma

Many of the flavor components in a piece of chocolate can be detected by smell - there are over 600 different aromas.

Cup your sample in your hands and breathe in. What are the first notes? Are they mild or strong? Are they roasted, nutty, floral or fruity? Do you think of vanilla, spice or tobacco?

Rub a tiny piece between your thumb and index finger until the chocolate softens: this warms the chocolate and releases more aromas. Smell a second time and take note of the new layers of flavors.

Your sense of smell is a key ingredient in your ability to taste the subtleties of chocolate. Try this test to prove it: pinch your nose and then put a piece of chocolate in your mouth. Note what your taste buds tell you; then release your nose, take a deep breath and observe the difference.

Taste the Flavors

Take a small portion of the chocolate and place it in the center of your tongue. Then, allow it to melt. Notice the meltpoint. Does it melt quickly or more slowly? Once it begins to melt, place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and move the melting chocolate around in a circular motion. Be sure to coat your entire tongue.

You will experience different stages of flavor. At first, you may notice a tartness, bitterness or sourness, followed by fruitiness. Next, note the texture: is this chocolate smooth, velvety, or silky?

Now become aware of how new flavors emerge. Do you taste something floral? Herbal? Like honey? Like brandy?

As that subsides, soft tannins take over, bringing in new notes that culminate in the finish, a drying sensation combined with the last sugar notes.

Finally, note how long the flavor lingers. Premium chocolate has flavor that lasts.

The layers of flavors come from various factors: the region the beans hail from, the blend of beans used and the growing conditions for the bean. All these influence the presence and intensity of the floral, fruity, nutty, sour, sweet and bitter notes.

Notice the differences in flavor when you swirl a piece of melting chocolate around your mouth. The front tip notices sweetness; the back of your tongue picks up bitter flavors; the sides of your tongue toward the front take in sour tastes while the back sides are for salty flavors.